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| - Finally made it here, well I made it to Bill Spoon's BBQ - I ate in this building light years ago when it was Bubba's (of course, before it was Bubba's, it was Spoon's Barbecue - a certain symmetry exists even in the world of cooked pig.). Signs says "We've cooked the whole pig since 1963", and if that is a collective "We", then that is true.
They serve pretty solid Eastern NC barbecue here - they cook the whole pig till it is tender and juicy, moderately chop it & include some outside pieces, and lightly sauce it as served. What arrives at the table is fairly mild barbecue, and several large dashes of their sauce helps pick up the heat pace - this is a nice Eastern NC sauce.
The slaw is also very Eastern - mustard based with a little attitude, and goes great with the pork, and the BBQ Chicken, as well. The BBQ Chicken is nice and tender, but it is very mild, and benefits a great deal from a nice amount of salt, and some additional sauce, house or commercial hot sauce. The Combo Plate of BBQ Chicken, 7 ounces of Chopped BBQ, and 2 sides goes for $14.75, not exactly cheap eats here. Chopped Sandwich is $5. The Hushpuppies here are very, very good.
The Chili Dog here is not one I'd order again - the chili lacks any kick, the onions go on last (just wrong), and at $2.50 this is an expensive wiener. The side of Onion Rings was actually nice - these are obviously frozen, but they were well fried, not over breaded, and had some good onion flavor. The FF were thin and crispy - nice. The Brunswick Stew ($4 for a small bowl) was simply awful - too thick and mushy (you cannot identify a single separate vegetable), and was very dark with a burnt, bitter taste. Your soda comes in a 12 ounce can, and there are no refills - cost is $2.
The service was quick, efficient, and friendly. They check on you several times during the meal. This is not destination barbecue in my opinion, but it is pretty good, especially for the Charlotte area. This is not a cheap place to eat barbecue, especially at the lunch meal. A BBQ Chicken/Pork Combo Plate with 2 sides, a small Brunswick Stew, a Chili Dog, an order of FF, and 2 Diet Cokes came to $27.10 before tax or tip. Too expensive for the combined quality and quantity.
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